During MENA Games Conference and Exhibition held in Beirut between 26 and 27 March and organized by IFP, Andrew Walker, co-founder of GameFounders, held a session on how developers should pitch their games to publishers and investors.
GameFounders is an international game accelerator which has invested in 28 teams from 16 countries. During his session Walker highlighted to game developers what they must take into account while pitching.
“The game developer must do his research before hand, you have got to know who you are talking to," he said to the audience.
“When pitching, remember to include what’s important and to eliminate what’s not, your pitch must not exceed three minutes.
“Your pitch must be appealing, video is the new PowerPoint. A developer must build their narrative in the gameplay, if you have to explain your video to the publishers, then your video has failed its purpose.”
Walker also said there was no set way of pitching a game, a misconception that bamboozles a lot of first time developers.
“The first secret, there is no magic formula to pitching, you have got to think for yourself, do your research, don’t follow.”
And he also emphasized that developers should “focus on attitude as much as content, don’t be arrogant, be confident, prepared and knowledgeable.
“A game developer must convince either publishers or investors that his product will be a game changer, you will receive the money only if they know they will get their money back.”
And pitching will also help you figure out if you're actually pitching the right game!
“Pitching will help you decide if you are doing your game in a wrong way, or if you are doing the wrong game altogether.”
Walker advised game developers to practice pitching on a weekly basis, to reach the three-minute pitch. Any longer would bore investors.
Walker concluded his speech by saying “Be Bold, Be Clear, Be Memorable.”
arabicgamers.com
8 March
